Medusa
In Greek mythology, Medusa ( , ; Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress")Probably the feminine present participle of medein, "to protect, rule over" (American Heritage Dictionary; compare Medon, Medea, Diomedes, etc.). If not, it is from the same root, and is formed after the participle. OED 2001 revision, s.v.; [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2365585 medein] in LSJ. was a monster, a Gorgon, generally described as a winged human female with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Gazers upon her face would turn to stone. Most sources describe her as the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto,as in Hesiod, Theogony 270, and Pseudo-Apollodorus Bibliotheke, 1.10. though the author Hyginus makes her the daughter of Gorgon and Ceto."From Gorgon and Ceto, Sthenno, Eurylae, Medusa". According to Hesiod and Aeschylus, she lived and died on an island named Sarpedon, somewhere near Cisthene. The 2nd-century BCE novelist Dionysios Skytobrachion puts her somewhere in Libya, where Herodotus had said the Berbers originated her myth, as part of their religion. Medusa was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who thereafter used her head, which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone, as a weapon until he gave it to the goddess Athena to place on her shield. In classical antiquity the image of the head of Medusa appeared in the evil-averting device known as the Gorgoneion. Classical mythology Medusa wearing the belt of the intertwined snakes, a fertility symbol, as depicted on the west pediment of the Artemis Temple in Corfu, exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of Corfu]] The three Gorgon sisters—Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale—were all children of the ancient marine deities Phorcys (or "Phorkys") and his sister Ceto (or "Keto"), chthonic monsters from an archaic world. Their genealogy is shared with other sisters, the Graeae, as in Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound, which places both trinities of sisters far off "on Kisthene's dreadful plain": Near them their sisters three, the Gorgons, winged With snakes for hair— hatred of mortal man— While ancient Greek vase-painters and relief carvers imagined Medusa and her sisters as beings born of monstrous form, sculptors and vase-painters of the fifth century began to envisage her as being beautiful as well as terrifying. In an ode written in 490 BC Pindar already speaks of "fair-cheeked Medusa".(Pythian Ode 12). Noted by Marjorie J. Milne in discussing a red-figured vase in the style of Polygnotos, ca. 450–30 BC, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Milne noted that "It is one of the earliest illustrations of the story to show the Gorgon not as a hideous monster but as a beautiful woman. Art in this respect lagged behind poetry." (Marjorie J. Milne, "Perseus and Medusa on an Attic Vase" The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin New Series, 4.5 (January 1946, pp. 126–130) 126.p.) In a late version of the Medusa myth, related by the Roman poet Ovid (Metamorphoses 4.770), Medusa was originally a ravishingly beautiful maiden, "the jealous aspiration of many suitors," but because Poseidon had raped her in Athena's temple, the enraged Athena transformed Medusa's beautiful hair to serpents and made her face so terrible to behold that the mere sight of it would turn onlookers to stone. In Ovid's telling, Perseus describes Medusa's punishment by Minerva (Athena) as just and well earned. of Syria, (312–280 BC)]] In most versions of the story, she was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who was sent to fetch her head by King Polydectes of Seriphus because Polydectes wanted to marry his mother. The gods were well aware of this, and Perseus received help. He received a mirrored shield from Athena, gold, winged sandals from Hermes, a sword from Hephaestus and Hades's helm of invisibility. Since Medusa was the only one of the three Gorgons who was mortal, Perseus was able to slay her while looking at the reflection from the mirrored shield he received from Athena. During that time, Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon. When Perseus beheaded her, Pegasus, a winged horse, and Chrysaor, a giant wielding a golden sword, sprang from her body. Jane Ellen Harrison argues that "her potency only begins when her head is severed, and that potency resides in the head; she is in a word a mask with a body later appended... the basis of the Gorgoneion is a cultus object, a ritual mask misunderstood."Harrison, p. 187. In the Odyssey xi, Homer does not specifically mention the Gorgon Medusa: of the Roman era. Museum of Sousse, Tunisia]] Harrison's translation states "the Gorgon was made out of the terror, not the terror out of the Gorgon." According to Ovid, in northwest Africa, Perseus flew past the Titan Atlas, who stood holding the sky aloft, and transformed him into stone when he tried to attack him.Roger Lancelyn Green suggests in his Tales of the Greek Heroes written for children that Athena used the aegis against Atlas. In a similar manner, the corals of the Red Sea were said to have been formed of Medusa's blood spilled onto seaweed when Perseus laid down the petrifying head beside the shore during his short stay in Ethiopia where he saved and wed his future wife, the lovely princess Andromeda. Furthermore, the poisonous vipers of the Sahara, in the Argonautica 4.1515, Ovid's Metamorphoses 4.770 and Lucan's'' Pharsalia'' 9.820, were said to have grown from spilt drops of her blood. The blood of Medusa also spawned the Amphisbaena (a horned dragon-like creature with a snake-headed tail). Perseus then flew to Seriphos, where his mother was about to be forced into marriage with the king. King Polydectes was turned into stone by the gaze of Medusa's head. Then Perseus gave the Gorgon's head to Athena, who placed it on her shield, the Aegis.Smith, "Perseus". Some classical references refer to three Gorgons; Harrison considered that the tripling of Medusa into a trio of sisters was a secondary feature in the myth: Modern interpretations Historical A number of early classics scholars interpreted the myth of the Medusa as a quasi-historical - "based on or reconstructed from an event, custom, style, etc., in the past", or "sublimated" memory of an actual invasion. According to Joseph Campbell: }} Psychoanalysis , circa 1878]] In 1940, Sigmund Freud's "Das Medusenhaupt (Medusa's Head)" was published posthumously. In Freud's interpretation: "To decapitate = to castrate. The terror of Medusa is thus a terror of castration that is linked to the sight of something. Numerous analyses have made us familiar with the occasion for this: it occurs when a boy, who has hitherto been unwilling to believe the threat of castration, catches sight of the female genitals, probably those of an adult, surrounded by hair, and essentially those of his mother." In this perspective the 'ravishingly beautiful' Medusa (see above) is the mother remembered in innocence; before the mythic truth of castration dawns on the subject. Classic Medusa, in contrast, is an Oedipal/libidinous symptom. Looking at forbidden mother (in her hair-covered genitals, so to speak) stiffens the subject in illicit desire and freezes him in terror of the Father's retribution. There are no recorded instances of Medusa turning a woman to stone. Archetypal literary criticism continues to find psychoanalysis useful. Beth Seelig analyzes Medusa's punishment from the aspect of the crime of having been raped rather than having willingly consented in Athena's temple as an outcome of the goddess' unresolved conflicts with her own father, Zeus.Seelig, B.J. (2002). "The Rape of Medusa in the Temple of Athena: Aspects of Triangulation". International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 83:895–911. Feminism , by Caravaggio (1595)]] In the 20th century, feminists reassessed Medusa's appearances in literature and in modern culture, including the use of Medusa as a logo by fashion company Versace.http://gevrilgroup.com/versace/gianni-versace-medusa-logo/Pratt, A. (1994). ''Archetypal empowerment in poetry: Medusa, Aphrodite, Artemis, and bears : a gender comparison. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Stephenson, A. G. (1997). "Endless the Medusa: a feminist reading of Medusan imagery and the myth of the hero in Eudora Welty's novels."Garber, p. 7. The name "Medusa" itself is often used in ways not directly connected to the mythological figure but to suggest the gorgon's abilities or to connote malevolence; despite her origins as a beauty, the name in common usage "came to mean monster."Garber, p. 1. The book Female Rage: Unlocking Its Secrets, Claiming Its Power by Mary Valentis and Anne Devane notes that "When we asked women what female rage looks like to them, it was always Medusa, the snaky-haired monster of myth, who came to mind ... In one interview after another we were told that Medusa is 'the most horrific woman in the world' ... though none of the women we interviewed could remember the details of the myth."Wilk, pp. 217–218. Medusa's visage has since been adopted by many women as a symbol of female rage; one of the first publications to express this idea was a feminist journal called Women: A Journal of Liberation in their issue one, volume six for 1978. The cover featured the image of the Gorgon Medusa by Froggi Lupton, which the editors on the inside cover explained "can be a map to guide us through our terrors, through the depths of our anger into the sources of our power as women." In issue three, Fall 1986 for the magazine Woman of Power an article called Gorgons: A Face for Contemporary Women's Rage, appeared, written by Emily Erwin Culpepper, who wrote that "The Amazon Gorgon face is female fury personified. The Gorgon/Medusa image has been rapidly adopted by large numbers of feminists who recognize her as one face of our own rage." Griselda Pollock analyses the passage from horrorism to compassion in the figure of the Medusa through Adriana Cavarero's philosophy and Bracha Ettinger's art and Matrixial theory.Griselda Pollock, "From Horrorism to Compassion" in G. Pollock (ed.) Visual Politics of Psychoanalysis, London: I.B.Tauris, 2013. Nihilism style from 1911]] Medusa has sometimes appeared as representing notions of scientific determinism and nihilism, especially in contrast with romantic idealism. Petersen, Per Serritslev. "Jack London's Medusa of Truth." Philosophy and Literature 26.1 (2002). pp. 43–56. In this interpretation of Medusa, attempts to avoid looking into her eyes represent avoiding the ostensibly depressing reality that the universe is meaningless. Jack London uses Medusa in this way in his novel The Mutiny of the Elsinore:London, p. 121. Art , Benvenuto Cellini (1554)]] , 2nd century BC, from Kos island, in the palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, island of Rhodes, Greece.]] from Piraeus depicting Medusa, using ''opus tessellatum, 2nd century AD, National Archaeological Museum of Athens]] Medusa has been depicted in several works of art, including: * Medusa on the breastplate of Alexander the Great, as depicted in the Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii's House of the Faun (c. 200 BC) * Medusa column bases of Basilica Cistern in Constantinople. *The "Rondanini Medusa", a Roman copy of the Gorgoneion on the aegis of Athena; later used as a model for the Gorgon's head in Antonio Canova's marble Perseus with the Head of Medusa (1798–1801) *''Medusa'' (oil on canvas) by Leonardo da Vinci *''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'' (bronze sculpture) by Benvenuto Cellini (1554) *''Perseus and Medusa'' - bronze statue by Hubert Gerhard (c. 1590) *''Medusa'' (oil on canvas) by Caravaggio (1597) *''Head of Medusa'', by Peter Paul Rubens (1618) *''Medusa'' (marble bust) by Gianlorenzo Bernini (1630s) *Medusa is played by a countertenor in Jean-Baptiste Lully and Philippe Quinault's opera, Persée (1682). She sings the aria "J'ay perdu la beauté qui me rendit si vaine". *''Perseus Turning Phineus and his Followers to Stone'' (oil on canvas) by Luca Giordano (early 1680s). *''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'' (marble sculpture) by Antonio Canova (1801) *''Medusa'' (1854), marble sculpture by Harriet Hosmer, collection of the Detroit Institute of Art *''Medusa'' (oil on canvas) by Arnold Böcklin (c. 1878) *''Perseus'' (bronze sculpture) by Salvador Dalí Medusa remained a common theme in art in the nineteenth century, when her myth was retold in Thomas Bulfinch's Mythology. Edward Burne-Jones' Perseus Cycle of paintings and a drawing by Aubrey Beardsley gave way to the twentieth century works of Paul Klee, John Singer Sargent, Pablo Picasso, Pierre et Gilles, and Auguste Rodin's bronze sculpture The Gates of Hell.Wilk, p. 200. Flags and emblems The head of Medusa is featured on some regional symbols. One example is that of the flag and emblem of Sicily, together with the three legged trinacria. The inclusion of Medusa in the center implies the protection of the goddess Athena, who wore the Gorgon's likeness on her aegis, as said above. Another example is the coat of arms of Dohalice village in the Czech Republic. Image:Dohalice CoA CZ.gif|Municipal coat of arms of Dohalice village, Hradec Králové District, Czech Republic Image:Sicilian Flag.svg|Flag of Sicily Image:Ceinturon d'uniforme, 1.jpg|Ceremonial French military uniform belt of World War I Science Medusa is honored in the following scientific names:WoRMS Editorial Board (2017). World Register of Marine Species. Available from http://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ. Accessed 2017-09-06. doi:10.14284/170 . ("Medusa", p. 175). *''Australomedusa'' Russell 1970 *''Boeromedusa'' Bouillon 1995 *''Bothriopsis medusa'' Sternfeld 1920 *''Cardiodectes medusaeus'' Wilson C.B. 1908 *''Chama oomedusae'' Matsukuma 1996 *''Cirratulus medusa'' Johnston 1833 *''Coronamedusae'' *''Csiromedusa'' Gershwin & Zeidler 2010 *''Csiromedusa medeopolis'' Gershwin & Zeidler 2010 *''Discomedusa lobata'' Claus 1877 *Discomedusae *''Eustomias medusa'' Gibbs, Clarke & Gomon 1983 *''Gorgonocephalus caputmedusae'' L. 1758 *''Gyrocotyle medusarum'' von Linstow 1903 (taxon inquirendum) *''Halimedusa'' Bigelow 1916 *''Halimedusa typus'' Bigelow 1916 *''Heteronema medusae'' Skvortzov 1957 *''Hoplopleon medusarum'' K.H. Barnard 1932 *''Hyperia medusarum'' Müller 1776 *''Hyperoche medusarum'' Krøyer 1838 *''Leptogorgia medusa'' Bayer 1952 *''Lilyopsis medusa'' Metschnikoff & Metschnikoff 1871 *Limnomedusae *''Loimia medusa'' Savigny in Lamarck 1818 *''Loimia medusa angustescutata'' Willey 1905 *''Lulworthia medusa'' (Ellis & Everh.) Cribb & J.W. Cribb 1955 *''Lulworthia medusa var. biscaynia'' Meyers 1957 *''Lulworthia medusa var. medusa'' (Ellis & Everh.) Cribb & J.W. Cribb 1955 *''Magnippe caputmedusae'' Stock 1978 *''Medusa'' Loureiro 1790 *''Medusablennius'' Springer 1966 *''Medusafissurella'' McLean & Kilburn 1986 *''Medusafissurella chemnitzii'' G. B. Sowerby I 1835 *''Medusafissurella dubia'' Reeve 1849 *''Medusafissurella melvilli'' G. B. Sowerby III 1882 *''Medusafissurella salebrosa'' Reeve 1850 *''Mesacanthoides caputmedusae'' (Ditlevsen 1918) Wieser 1959 *''Myxaster medusa'' Fisher 1913 *Narcomedusae *''Ophioplinthus medusa'' Lyman 1878 *''Phallomedusa'' Golding, Ponder & Byrne 2007 *''Phallomedusa austrina'' Golding, Ponder & Byrne 2007 *''Phallomedusa solida'' Martens 1878 *''Phascolion medusae'' Cutler & Cutler 1980 *''Philomedusa'' *''Philomedusa vogtii'' Müller 1860 *''Polycirrus medusa'' Grube 1850 *''Polycirrus medusa sakhalinensis'' Buzhinskaja 1988 *''Sarcomella medusa'' Schmidt 1868 *''Stauromedusae'' *''Stellamedusa'' Raskoff & Matsumoto 2004 *''Stellamedusa ventana'' Raskoff & Matsumoto 2004 *''Stygiomedusa'' Russell 1959 *''Stygiomedusa gigantea'' Browne 1910 *''Thylacodes medusae'' Pilsbry 1891 *''Trachymedusae'' }} Popular culture The petrifying image of Medusa makes an instantly recognizable feature in popular culture. Medusa has been featured in several works of fiction, including video games, movies, cartoons and books. In particular, the designer Gianni Versace's symbol is reflected through the Medusa-head symbol. It was chosen because she represents beauty, art, and philosophy. See also Notes and references Primary sources *Servius, In Aeneida vi.289 *Lucan, Bellum civile ix.624–684 *Ovid, Metamorphoses iv.774–785, 790–801 Secondary sources *Garber, Marjorie, Vickers, Nancy, The Medusa Reader, Routledge; 1 edition (February 26, 2003), . *Harrison, Jane Ellen (1903) 3rd ed. 1922. Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion,: "The Ker as Gorgon" * * Smith, William; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London (1873). "Perseus" * Wilk, Stephen R. (2007). Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon. Oxford University Press. * Walker, Barbara G. (1996). The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths & Secrets. New Jersey: Castle Books. . External links * Ancient coins depicting Medusa * "Medusa in Myth and Literary History" – English.uiuc.edu * [http://www.infoplease.com/t/lit/shelley/2/5/18.html On the Medusa of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Florentine Gallery], by Percy Bysshe Shelley * Theoi Project, Medousa & the Gorgones References to Medusa and her sisters in classical literature and art Category:Medusa Category:Heraldic beasts Category:Monsters in Greek mythology Category:Mythological rape victims Category:Women and death